How to Protect Tulip Bulbs

Plant tulip bulbs during the late fall and early winter to protect them from several diseases. To protect the bulbs from Augusta disease, the Tulip World website recommends waiting until the outdoor temperature drops below 9 degrees Celsius or approximately 48 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prevent the flower bulb disease known as botrytis by treating tulip bulbs before planting. Cover the bulbs with a plant fungicide treatment and then place the bulbs in the soil. Lay a layer of sand over the bulbs to further prevent this plant disease from affecting your tulip bulbs.

Defend tulip bulbs from wireworms that burrow into the bulbs by working diazinon powder into the soil of the tulip planting site. Apply the powder on top of the soil and work into the soil to a depth of 8 inches. Cover the bulbs directly with the powder and then plant in the diazinon-enhanced soil. Further prevent wireworms by spraying malathion onto growing tulips.

Cut a section of wire mesh measuring 1 foot wider on all sides than the tulip plot; use wire snips to cut the mesh. Lay the section of mesh onto the surface of the planting area. Rodents cannot dig through the mesh, but the tulips easily sprout up through the holes in the wire mesh. For best results, use a mesh with holes measuring approximately 1/2 inch in width or diameter, as this size allows the tulip stems to grow through, while preventing rodents from getting to the bulbs.